Facebook is ending a policy of required arbitration in
cases of sexual harassment at the company.

The policy requires employees to give up their right to
sue.

This change came a day after Google also ended the
practice, following demands from employees protesting sexual
misconduct.

Forced arbitration has become a sensitive issue and has
been interpreted as a way for companies to shield themselves
from sexual misconduct claims being made public.

Facebook is putting an end to required arbitration in cases of
sexual harassment, allowing employees to pursue claims in court.

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Facebook announced the policy change in an internal message to
staff on Friday. It also changed its policy on office
relationships - now executives at a director level or higher must
disclose if they are dating somebody at the company.

Required arbitration forces employees to settle disputes
privately, precluding them from taking suits to court. The
process has been criticised as being weighted against employees,
and making it harder for people to band together in class
actions. Facebook's move means its employees now have a choice
between going to an arbitrator or making their claims public in
court.

"This is a time when we can be part of taking the next step," she
added, and confirmed that while Facebook staff haven't staged
protests like their counterparts at Google, sexual harassment has
been a growing topic of discussion at the company.